


Warmth

by SarIIon



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Anxiety, Complete, Coughing, Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Medicine, Romantic or platonic, Sickfic, Terminal Illnesses, relationship can be read as
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-16 12:26:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18521506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarIIon/pseuds/SarIIon
Summary: After darkness falls, Chiaki visits a tied up Nagito. Lying on the hard ground all day without water or food has not been kind to his body, and when he breaks into a coughing fit, Chiaki overcomes her anxiety to help him.(I'm awful @ summaries...like super bad. Basically, Chiaki tries to have a normal conversation w/ him but it's Nagito so that doesn't go well)





	Warmth

**Author's Note:**

> Italics=Inner thoughts  
> Night Showers= when it rains at night (not taking a shower at night lol)  
> Trigger Warning: terminal illness symptoms

                It was raining gently, the night sky shifting lazily in shades of dark purple and black as she quietly made her way toward the old building. The umbrella wobbled slightly as she walked despite her best efforts to keep it steady under her arm, hands occupied in balancing the small lantern, thermos, blanket, and bag of snacks she had scavenged from the island store.

                Chiaki paused on the steps, taking a quiet moment to enjoy the peaceful night. Ever since she was little, she’d loved the rain. When the atmosphere clouded over with puffy grey cumuli and the skies opened to shed their tears, it almost felt as if she entered a different world.

                It transformed the city the most: the rain soaked into pavement, introducing to it an entirely different color, small rivers formed along curbs and rushed along carrying golden-red maple leaves in their eddies, and even it if was only for a brief moment, the perpetual bustle of the city seemed to hold its breath in awed appreciation. Out of all of them, however, she loved night showers the best. The calming darkness of night wrapped itself like a blanket around her after it descended without fail at the end of each long day. She wasn’t exactly sure when she had began to stay up late into the night playing video games as her father programmed, but it had quickly become routine to share hot tea with him as she tapped away at a handheld and his fingers danced across the keyboard. The almost invisible night showers of late spring and early summer were a special treat and she couldn’t help but step onto the balcony every time, grinning widely as the city lights below blurred into a bright medley of colors and echoes, accenting the dark sky.

                The rain brought out a fresh smell from the earth, almost like a mix of soil and wood and moss all blended together. She inhaled deeply, drawing in the island’s rainy scent. It was a little different from the smell of the city, but not by much. _Life. It smelled of life._

                Tilting the umbrella up, she took one last look at the gentle falling rain which briefly glowed gold as it caught the light of flickering flames from path torches before touching the ground. _Beautiful_.

 

                _Move before the tea gets cold._ She smiled, gently shaking off her reveries before turning up the steps and fumbling with the door. It took a few tries, but the knob eventually turned and pushing inward with her shoulder, she entered the old building.

                Rotting floorboards creaked underfoot as she carefully closed the door, leaning the sopping umbrella against the wall to dry. _They probably locked him in the main room where the party had taken place._ She frowned as she carefully made her way down the hallway. _How morose._

                Sure enough, the tables and chairs had been pushed to one side, leaving a clearing in which Nagito was tied up like a log, lying on cold wooden planks.

                “…Chiaki?” A large, large smile stretched across his face as he shifted to greet her, blinking to adjust to the lantern light. “Ah, could it be…? Did you take time out of your night to pay little old me a visit?” He coughed, “Wow, I’m so happy! As you can see, I can’t exactly greet you with my full hospitality…but feel free to relax.”

                “It’s really not a problem. I was out taking a walk anyways, so just think of it as a side quest! I thought you might be hungry, so I brought some snacks” she rustled the plastic bag lightly in her hand.

                “You’re so kind, but there’s no need to worry about a loser like me…” he managed to chirp cheerily before breaking into a coughing fit, panting heavily for air.

                Chiaki froze _. What was the right path?_ She hadn’t ever played a game yet with a character like Nagito, and it would be dangerous to pick options randomly. There were no save points after all.

                Sitting up would make it easier to breathe—that much she knew. _He likely wouldn’t be able to sit up himself…_ she hesitated.

               

                Living things were always a little scary. They were warm when you touched them, you know? If you sat still enough, you could hear the heart beating in their chest; it was a strange feeling, listening to heartbeats. And if you touch a person, something is born from that interaction. Repulsion, anticipation, whatever…it made her nervous…stuff like that. It wasn’t like games at all. There were no do-overs, no exact and comfortable tropes. The unknown, it was kinda scary. So she usually tried to avoid doing anything unnecessary.

                But…but this time it seemed necessary. She shook her head with force, like a puppy shaking off rainwater, before carefully setting down everything in her hands and patting her cheeks with resolution. “Hey, Nagito” she spoke softly as she slowly approached him, “I’m going to sit you up okay? It’ll make breathing easier…I think.”

                He didn’t respond as his chest heaved, struggling for breath, so she did her best to lift his torso, awkwardly dragging him to the wall so he could rest back against it as she moved the lantern and items closer, within reaching distance.

                Much to her relief, the change in position seemed to help and he soon stopped panting, managing to take a breath without coughing. “Thank you.”

 

                She blinked in surprise as she opened and closed her hand. When she touched a living creature, it was the warmth which indicated its life…but Nagito wasn’t warm at all. In fact, his skin was cold.

_Could it be?! A member of the undead class???_

                She pinched her arm lightly and winced at the sharp pain. _Nope. Definitely not a dream._

                Hooking the fluffy blanket with her hand, she unfolded it and slowly draped it over his shoulders, carefully gauging his reaction.

                “No” he coughed, weakly pushing at the blanket “not worth…”

                _Had she…chose the wrong option?_ Her mind raced with panic. _This was hard._ Even after practicing with the others, interacting with Nagito was something a tutorial stage couldn’t prepare her for. _Maybe she wasn’t supposed to give him the blanket first? Had she skipped a checkpoint?_ Hmmm…she frowned, puffing out a cheek in deep thought when he nudged her arm with a blanket covered shoulder.

                “Blanket…you” *cough* “…not me.”

                _Oh_. Her eyes widened in realization. _Of course!_ She had only brought one blanket. It never even crossed her mind to bring another since she was in such a rush earlier and she wasn’t cold at all. _It’s fine, I can pretty much sleep anywhere!_ She almost reassured him before pausing with her mouth open. No…something told her that was the wrong option. _Hmm…maybe more direct? Like a confident MC!_

                “Actually, would you mind if we…shared the blanket? You know, huddling like penguins? It would be way warmer than if I just had the blanket itself.”

                She watched his face, letting out a sigh of relief as he broke into a wide smile. “I’m glad scum like me can be useful.”

_Correct dialogue option chosen._

                Repositioning one half of the blanket so everything below his neck was covered, she took off her backpack, setting it on the floor within reach, before joining him under the sheet.

                “Are you hungry? I didn’t know what you liked so I picked out a bunch of stuff,” she smiled, rummaging through the plastic grocery bag to hold up a couple items “let’s see…I brought potato chips, crisps, cheese sticks, trail mix, fruit cups, yogurt…I even found a little salad!”

                “Haha, are you going to feed me?” he croaked, lips twisting upwards in a wry smile

                “W-what?”

                “Well, I can’t eat it on my own. You know, since my hands are all tied up…”

                She blinked in realization. “Oh, I totally forgot! Yeah, of course, I can feed you. What do you want to eat? I brought napkins too—”

                “I’m kidding…” he coughed, shaking his head in amusement. “Truthfully, I’m not really hungry right now.”

                “Oh…okay,” she paused, tucking the stack of napkins back in the bag before uncapping the thermos, “but at least drink some tea—you sound parched—it’ll help restore your health!”

                “No, I’m fine” He chirped cheerily, turning to her with a wide grin. “Actually, I was curious about the new motive Mahiru was talking about…Twilight Syndrome Murder Case, was it? I have mixed feelings…I really liked that game a lot” he coughed. “…Oh well, I’m a little disappointed. It’s not like the Ultimates to ignore the threat that’s standing right in front of them. So are they really planning not to play the game? Do they think Monokuma will let that slide?” he collapsed in a wheezing fit, almost smashing into a table corner before Chiaki lunged forward to catch him.

                “Hey Nagito, are you alright?” she frowned as he choked out a maniacal laugh between coughs.

                “They should confront it…Hahahahahaha” he shuddered, throat raw with effort. “But not you…Chiaki, of course you already beat it.…so, how was the game? Did it make you feel despair? Hope? It must have been grand! Ahahaha—” He broke off weakly, slumping against her as he gasped for breath, “So sublime…yes. Yes. YES—”

                She slapped him. Hard. across the cheek, leaning him back against the wall so he could catch his breath. “Hey Nagito…I’m sorry but could you stop talking?” She furrowed her brows, pressing her lips together in anger. Normally she had quite a bit of patience for his antics, but it was obvious speaking was triggering his coughing fits.

                His eyes widened briefly at the pain before he nodded slightly and closed his eyes, panting as he slumped against the wall.

                She chewed her lip with worry, setting down the thermos in order to tighten the blanket around him and press a hand to his clammy forehead. No fever but his body was shaking with tremors and still frigid to the touch _. Maybe she could try and start a fire? No, that was super dangerous in such an old building. Oh, and the smoke would make breathing problems worse…probably. Did the surf shop have any camping heaters or stoves? No…she didn’t see any when she was grabbing the lantern…_

                He startled her out of her thoughts abruptly when he crumpled forward, body shuddering convulsively as he dry heaved.

                _Nothing_. He clearly hadn’t eaten anything all day, yet he claimed he wasn’t hungry. She did her best to lift him back up after he stopped shaking in order to keep his airway open. _What was she supposed to do?_ Her hands trembled. This situation wasn’t in any of the dating sims she had played (granted she hadn’t played that many). He leaned limply against her as she gingerly wrapped an arm around him to prevent him from falling forward again. She could feel his bones sharply through his shirt as his body pressed against her. _Thin. He was so thin. When was the last time he ate properly?_ Now that she thought about it, she couldn’t recall a single time she saw him eat on the island…

                She wasn’t a doctor. This wasn’t something she could handle…in fact, she wasn’t even sure a doctor could handle it. There wasn’t a hospital on the islands they could visit, and the only one with medical training was Mikan. But the cottages were so far away…could she leave him unattended? No…and carrying him there wasn’t an option even if she was strong enough cuz she didn’t have the key to his shackles…and it was still raining outside. _You know exactly what’s wrong with him._ The small voice in her head prompted. _He doesn’t cooperate with doctors and there aren't any around anyways. Just do your best right now and visit the pharmacy later._

                His pale face, twisted in pain, almost seemed whiter than usual as he breathed heavily. She chewed her lip, gently patting his clammy cheek to get his attention. “Hey Nagito, do you have any prescriptions? Here or in your cottage?”

                A small head shake. No.

                “Are you allergic to any medicine? To Acetaminophen?”

                Another no.

                She didn’t have anything on her but a couple tylenol packets for migraines; they probably wouldn’t help much, but it was the best she could do. Straining to reach her backpack, she tipped out the contents on the ground, trapping a packet beneath two fingers and pulling it toward her. “Nagito, I’m going to give you this tylenol okay? It’ll help with the pain. I’m sorry I don’t have a way to untie you, but the medicine should also help you sleep…probably.”

               “No” he weakly protested through gritted teeth, opening his lips to continue before she pressed a firm hand to his mouth.

                _Confident MC. Act confident._

               “Hey Nagito, please” She ripped the packet open with her teeth, emptying the two small capsules into her palm. “I’ll put these in your mouth and I _need_ you to swallow them. I brought some tea to help them go down, and you _need_ to drink some.” She paused before carefully adding, “I made it for you, it’s green tea with a little honey, and it would make me sad if you refused to drink it.”

               A small, reluctant nod.

               His breathing had almost returned to normal, she noted with a sigh of relief as she carefully moved him back against the wall. “Open your mouth” she tilted his chin up, dropping the pills far back into his throat before instructing “this is the tea, would you take a sip? Good, now swallow.” Gently supporting his head with one hand, she brought the thermos cap to his lips in slow intervals until it was empty. “Good. Did the tea taste okay? I chose green tea cuz it doesn’t have a super strong taste and this one is caffeine free, so it shouldn’t interfere with sleep. I heard chamomile is good too, but I’ve never tasted it before so that’s…danger territory.”

               “Yes” his voice was soft and laced with drowsiness as she carefully reached over him to retrieve the blanket from the floor and wrap it around him again.

               There was no way the medicine would work that fast…he must be utterly exhausted. She frowned as she settled down next to him, carefully leaning him against her shoulder so he would tilt into her if he collapsed again, rather than into a table corner.

                “You are truly kind…to worry about a loser like me…” his voice trailed off as he gave into fatigue, head falling gently into the crook of her neck due to their height difference. When he was asleep he looked so peaceful, unruly, fluffy white hair spilling over his face and pale eyelashes serenely shut. She could almost gloss over the dark bags under his eyes and hollow cheeks he tried to hide with his cheery daily façade. _Almost_.

                Placing a light hand on his neck, she noted the tender, swollen lymph nodes beneath his jaw and sighed lightly. So he refused to fill his prescriptions even in this world... _Oh_. She blinked in surprise, shifting her hand slightly; although perspiration dampened his skin and his visage was still pale, his temperature had risen significantly and he was warm to the touch. _Warm. As a living thing should be._

                Yeah…interacting with Nagito was a little scary. It was kinda hard to guess what he was feeling, and it made her nervous, stuff like that. But she felt as if she understood him a little better now. There were a lot of things she still didn’t understand, but she wanted to know more about many things…and Nagito was one of them.

                Smiling contently, she carefully poured out another cap of tea for herself and powered on her DS. She would have to leave before morning or the other students might get suspicious…but for now, she was more than content to take a sip of tea, boot up her save file, and settle back to watch the flickering lantern light dance as sounds of quiet breathing filled the room. Outside it continued to rain, droplets gently pattering against roof tiles in the calming night, and inside, she shifted closer to share with him a little of her warmth.

**Author's Note:**

> -Nagito is hella hard to write so I hope he wasn’t out of character, I used plenty of in game dialogue for both him and Chiaki bc I feel like he would greet her similarly to Hajime.  
> -Compared to the anime Chiaki, her in-game dialogue reveals her hesitation and anxiety to interact with animals and humans—she finds them hard to read and predict. This, I feel, was likely her outlook on social interactions before making friends at Hope’s Peak. And being thrust into a new environment and having to get to know everyone all over again, I can see it returning a bit.
> 
> —Headcanons: -Nagito never revealed his illness to the class (at least not without following it with an “I’m kidding” sort of joke). So why does Chiaki know? Well the AI was formed by memories and thoughts of the class, so perhaps deep down, he did want to tell someone.  
> \- I haven’t read the manga which went into detail on his progression, but the game seems to just gloss over the fact that terminal diseases don’t just affect the mind, but also the body. Even if he did his best to cover up his symptoms, it’s kinda unlikely that no one would notice something was wrong. …Yeah…essentially, I just wanted to get across that terminal/life threatening diseases aren’t fun, they hurt both the patient and the people around them. And not having to suffer through it alone is really important. Hopefully that came across in the piece.
> 
> -Important: Obviously don't give people random medicine lol, but Acetaminophen is an over the counter which people take all the time for mild pain and fevers, so it's pretty harmless (and like obviously Chiaki isn't super knowledgeable about health bc she's taking it for migranes...but eh, she tries)
> 
> -Thank you so much for reading, I’d love feedback if you enjoyed the piece or want to leave any constructive critique!  
> -I’m also open for suggestions if you have any fluffy prompt ideas feel free to drop them in the comments and I’ll take a look<3


End file.
